Centrifugal air compressor



Nov. 2, 1965 PEREZ 3,215,342

CENIRIFUGAL AIR COMPRESSOR Filed March 25, 1964 8 1&1

INVENTOR.

GABRIEL .PEREZ BY United States Patent 3,215,342 CENTRIFUGAL AIR COMPRESSOR Gabriel Perez, 1744 Larkin St., San Francisco, Calif. Filed Mar. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 353,972 5 Claims. (Cl. 230-211) My present invention relates to compressors and more particularly to a barrel type axial-flow multistage centrifugal compressor of novel construction.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an axial-flow multistage barrel type compressor having means for maintaining an auxiliary circulation of cooling air by which overheating is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved axial-flow shaftless compressor of the barrel type having a rotor of novel construction around which there is maintained a forced circulation of cooling air.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement in a centrifugal compressor having a centrally disposed shaftless axial-flow compressor unit mounted for rotation within outwardly disposing bearings located externally thereof and isolated from said bearings by a circulation of cooling air, whereby said compressor will operate free of contamination by the lubricating medium provided for said bearings.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in the accompanying drawing taken in connection with the accompanied description, wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals referred to like parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view taken centrally of a compressor constructed in accordance with the invention, and

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the compressor of FIG- URE 1, with a portion broken away to indicate a probable detail of construction.

For a better understanding of the invention reference is now made to the accompanying drawing where the invention is illustrated as embodied in an axial-flow centrifugal compressor having a housing, designated broadly by the numeral housing 10, having a main body portion 11 with end plates 12 and 13 that carry ball races or other type of bearings 14 for supporting a rotor element 15. This rotor element 15 has a centrally located turbine type bucket wheel 16 with oppositely extending tubular ends 17 and 18 that project outwardly and are supported by the ball races 14. As shown the ends 17 and 18 terminate respectively Within end closure members 19 and 20 and provide a path through which a circulation of compressed cooling air may be maintained as will be hereinafter pointed out. The end closure member 19 carries a conduit forming member 21 to which there is connected a compressed air discharge pipe 22 through which compressed air is delivered to a point of use. At the other end of housing 10 the end closure member 20 has an outwardly flaring opening 23 through which air will be drawn for the compression by a compressor unit 24 which is to be described in detail hereinafter. This compressor unit 24, as here indicated, is mounted centrally within the rotor element 16 by annular spacing rings 25 and 26 that have uniformly spaced ports 27 that provide air passage ways for the circulation of air from an intake port 28, carried by the end closure member 20, over the outer surface of the compressor unit 24, and to outlet ports 29 carried by the end closure member 19.

In FIGURE 2, of the drawings the rotor element 15 is shown as provided with a series of turbine buckets 30 by which rotation is imparted thereto when subjected to a jet "Ice of steam directed thereupon through a nozzle 31 and which is exhausted through an exhaust pipe 32 as indicated by the applied direction arrows. As alternatives for this arrangement it is conceivable that the rotor element 15 with its bucket wheel 16 may be in the form of a large gear to be driven by an associated pinion gear or with certain modifications it is also conceivable that the rotor element 15 may be equipped with windings to operate as the armature of a dynamo-electric machine with stationary windings disposed about the interior of the housing 10. To prevent the escape of steam in the event that the rotor element 15 is driven turbine fashion as above suggested the end plates 12 and 13 are shown as having labyrinth seals 38 at the inner ends of the bearings 14.

The compressor contemplated by my invention will be of large capacity with a high compression ratio and the compressor unit 24 is therefore shown with a large number of stages having impellers 33 with veins 34 arranged axially therein and since the volume of air will be reduced as the pressure increases the spacings of the impellers are shown as progressively reduced to thus provide an increasing compression ratio as the discharged end of the compressor unit is approached. At the intake end of the compressor unit 24 there is an induction fan 35 with blades 36 by which the air to be compressed is directed to the spaced impellers 33 of the compressor unit 24. Arranged at the intake end of the barrel like compressor unit 24 and extending outwardly into end enclosure member 20 there is a plurality of outwardly extending air inducting blades 37 that are adapted and arranged to establish a circulation of cooling air over the exterior surface of the compressor unit 24 and out through the ports 29 of the end closure 19. In this manner there will be established a circulation of cooling air completely around the compressor unit 24 to dissipate any generated heat when the compressor is in operation.

Another and important aspect of my invention resides in the fact by isolating the air compressor unit in the manner described from outwardly spaced supporting bearings provided for its rotation there will be no contact between the compressed air and any lubricating medium required by its supporting bearings such as in present day compressor units of comparable size and design. In the described arrangement the compressor unit 24 does not involve any relative movement between its several stages or adjacent points and there is therefore no requirement for lubrication or other sealing means with which the air being compressed may contact. In other words the air to be compressed will be sucked in through the flared end 23 of the end closure member 20, compressed and then discharged through the end closure members 21 to the delivery conduit 22 without coming into contact with any lubricated seals or bearings. The auxiliary circulation of air through the annular spacing externally of the air compressor unit also provides a feature which will be of further beneficial value of this respect.

It is to be understood that the above showing in the drawing and as described above is purely illustrative and while I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily under stood, described and illustrated a specific device and arrangement, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a multistage axial-flow compressor of the character described, the combination of a housing of substantially cylindrical configuration having end plates with bearings for a rotatable driving element, a rotatable driving element having means for connection with an external source of power and an elongated cylindrical hub supported at its ends for rotation in the bearings carried by the end plates of said housing, an open ended barrel type compressor unit having a plurality of stages with progressively higher compression ratios as the discharged end thereof is approached, said barrel like compressor unit being mounted centrally in spaced relation within the elongated cylindrical hub of said driving element by annular rings at each end of said compressor unit forming a driving connection between said compressor unit and said driving element, said annular rings having ports through which air may circulate to and from the space between said driving element and said barrel type compressor unit, and means carried by said compressor unit for maintaining a circulation of cooling air through the ports of said annular rings and about said compressor unit as a means for preventing overheating of the compressor unit when in operation.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1,'characterized by the fact that said rotatable driving element is in the form of a driven gear having teeth for engagement with a driving pinion.

3. In a multistage axial-flow compressor of the character described, the combination of a housing of substantially cylindrical configuration having supporting bearings for a rotatable compressor unit driving element, a rotatable driving element having an elongated cylindrical hub supported for rotation in the bearings carried by said housing, an open ended barrel type compressor unit having a plurality of stages with progressively increasing compression ratios as the discharged end thereof is approached, said barrel like compressor unit being mounted centrally to rotate about the axis of the elongated cylindrical hub of said driving element, spacing rings at each end of said compressor unit forming a driving connection between said compressor unit-and said driving element having ports through which air may circulate in the space between said driving element and said barrel type compressor unit, and an air circulating fan mounted upon and driven by said compressor unit for maintaining a circulation of air through the ports of said spacing rings and into the space between said driving element and said compressor unit as a means for preventing an overheating of the compressor unit when in operation.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 3, characterized by the fact that said open ended barrel type compressor unit is of uniform diameter throughout its length with stages of increasing compression ratios and an air inducting fan at its intake end.

5. In an air compressor of the character described, the combination of, an enclosing housing having axially spaced bearings, a cylindrical compressor unit supporting member journalled in the bearings carried by said housing for rotation about a horizontal axis and enclosure members carried by said housing having openings around the. axis of said compressor unit supporting member, a

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/09 Oraker 230124 6/20 Hampton 230- X DONLEY I. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT M. WALKER, Examiner. 

1. IN A MULTISTAGE AXIAL-FLOW COMPRESSOR FO THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, THE COMBINATION OF A HOUSING OF SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION HAVING END PLATES WITH BEARINGS FOR A ROTATABLE DRIVING ELEMENT, A ROTATABLE DRIVING ELEMENT HAVING MEANS FOR CONNECTION WITH AN EXTERNAL SOURCE OF POWER AND AN ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL HUB SUPPORTED AT ITS ENDS FOR ROTATION IN THE BEARINGS CARRIED BY THE END PLATES OF SAID HOUSING, AN OPEN ENDED BARREL TYPE COMPRESSOR UNIT HAVING A PLURALITY OF STAGES WITH PROGRESSIVELY HIGHER COMPRESSION RATIOS AS THE DISCHARGED END THEREOF IS APPROACHED, SAID BARREL LIKE COMPRESSOR UNIT BEING MOUNTED CENTRALLY IN SPACED RELATION WITHIN THE ELONGAGED CYLINDRICAL HUB OF SAID DRIVING ELEMENT BY ANNULAR RINGS AT EACH END OF SAID COMPRESSOR UNIT FORMING A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID COMPRESSOR UNIT AND SAID DRIVING ELEMENT, SAID ANNULAR RINGS HAVING PORTS THROUGH WHICH AIR MAY CIRCULATE TO AND FROM THE SPACE BETWEEN SAIS DRIVING ELEMENT AND SAID BARREL TYPE COMPRESSOR UNIT, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID COMPRESSOR UNIT FOR MAINTAINING A CIRCULATION OF COOLING AIR THROUGH THE PORTS OF SAID ANNULAR RINGS AND ABOUT SAID COMPRESSOR UNIT AS A MEANS FOR PREVENTING OVERHEATING OF THE COMPRESSOR UNIT WHEN IN OPERATION. 